World Geostratetegic Insights interview with Yasir Masood about past and current events in Afghanistan and on the foreseeable developments in Afghan Chinese relations.
Yasir Masood is an Academic, Foreign and Regional Affairs Expert and a broadcast journalist based in Islamabad. He frequently contributes in the top national & International English dailies on foreign and geopolitical issues. He tweets @ScholarYK
1) Having proclaimed the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, does the Taliban guarantee the observance of the rights and freedoms of the Afghan population, as is customary in civilized countries? Can it be argued that human rights in Afghanistan after the revolution will be of high value? The Taliban said Afghan women will be able to study and work on an equal basis with men. How is this consistent with Islamic law?
The word “civilized” has conceptual differences and needs a profound understanding if seen through the prism of Islam. On what grounds/pretext, the term “civilized countries” attribute themselves as civilized people and the rest are counted as uncivilized? According to Islamic theology; norms, traditions and taboos of the civilized nations and their practices are completely contradictory to Islam. Islamic politico-socio system believes in the practicality of human welfare and freedom under the rules/codes prescribed in the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Therefore, according to the interpretation of Islamic law (if implemented in true letter and spirit), the Taliban have to guarantee the rights and freedom which will structure a cohesive, peaceful and harmonious society.
Again, “human rights” predominately is a western concept, which is arranged and practiced according to their own prescribed set of rules and regulations mostly as a state policy. Human rights and their violations according to sharia have their own interpretation, which has its roots derived from the messages of God, preserved in the Holy Quran. Emphasis on human rights in Islam takes its position at the highest degree, therefore, if a true Islamic Emirate is established in Afghanistan, human rights will be given to the Muslims as well as to other minorities according to laws. On the Day of Judgement, if one had short-comings in giving his due rights to his fellow human being (huqooq-ul-ibaad) (duties towards mankind), and he did not seek repentance for his short-comings in delivering his ‘huqooq ul ibaad’ before his death; God (Allah) will take the good deeds of the person who wronged his brother, and transfer them to the account or scales of the one who was wronged! Thus Allah will not Himself forgive the one who usurped the rights of other human beings but will do Justice and recompense the one who was wronged with the deeds of the oppressor. Thus, Allah will hold every individual accountable for his own deeds on that Inevitable Day of Justice!
Men and women will have equal rights rather women will have more prestige, honour and respect in the society while upholding the family system including the rights to education, work and other professions, freedom of speech and press but without the mix of male presence, etc. as coded and embedded in Islamic laws. However, we still have to wait and see if the Taliban adopt the right version of sharia laws.
2) Did the US commit war crimes in Afghanistan? Is it fair to say that Washington really wanted to create a democratic regime in Afghanistan?
Beyond any shadow of a doubt, the US and its allies along with its contractors and mercenaries have committed heinous war crimes for the last 20 years under the ambit of restoring “democracy”, liberating the Afghans from the grip of militancy, extremism and terrorism, etc. Ironically speaking, despite pouring in trillions of dollars, with 44 allies, 11 supporting countries, 150,000 troops, 300,000 Afghan trained military, mercenaries and contractors, all equipped with modern weapons, the latest technology and tactics have been unable to undo the Taliban. Instead, the US and its allies faced humiliation at the hands of the Taliban consisting of 75,000 barefooted, without having proper food, without missiles and a single helicopter defeated the “policeman” of the world. It seems evident that the US intention was to undermine the development of Russia and China, keeping Pakistan engaged in a geopolitical and geostrategic hostile milieu, opposing the BRI and CPEC and creating chaos in Afghanistan and beyond. Moreover, franchised factions of terrorist outfits mushroomed in the region, all these war crimes were committed by the US hand in glove with its unreliable regional partner-India.
3) A wide network of secret prisons operated on the territory of Afghanistan during the American occupation, in which thousands of civilians were held without trial. How are these secret prisons being used now? Does the US continue to repress the civilian population of Afghanistan?
Some reports suggest that the US held civilians in undercover prisons without any trial. Hamid Karzai, the ex-President of Afghanistan, during his tenure, raised this issue and once commented, “Such surreptitious prisons and holding civilians without any trail is utterly against Afghan traditions”.
The Taliban has already released prisoners, their ex-inmates and innocent civilians from the lockups. A couple of days ago, The Taliban now runs Pul-e-Charkhi Prison, a sprawling complex on Kabul’s eastern outskirts. Pul-e-Charkhi had a long, disturbing history of violence, mass executions and torture. Under the US – backed government, mass graves and torture cells were uncovered. It was more known for poor conditions and overcrowding – its 11 cell blocks were built to house 5,000 inmates, but were often packed with more than 10,000, including Taliban prisoners and criminals.
4) How many people and for what reasons were killed in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021? Were these sacrifices justified in terms of the US anti-terrorist campaign?
Only history will find out as to what was the reason for killing around 83000 soldiers from 2001 to 2021 including an estimated more than 700,000 incognizant innocent civilians who lost their lives erroneously. The US has utterly failed, bowed down to the Taliban, fled in haste and panic and abandoned the Afghan population. None of the killings by any means can justify the anti-terror campaigns, rather the US and its allies have been unable to defend the killings of the Afghans. According to some reports, the US has been migrating more militancy in Afghanistan from the Middle East like ISIS for two reasons; 1) to have a strong foothold on Taliban and; 2) to keep the region in a boiling pot, so that regional powers like Russia, China including Pakistan cannot prosper economically. A prerequisite for a prosperous and developed region is to have a secure environment.
5) Is there a possibility that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan may demand the US to release all Afghans held in Guantanamo? If such a demand is nevertheless put forward, how will Washington react to this?
Keeping the current scenario in the loop, the US troops have timely vacated Afghanistan before 31 August 2021, a deadline given by the Taliban. This is a clear indication that the US troops and leftovers strictly abided by the Taliban’s announcement of leaving the country in the given time frame without any plea for extension or resistance. It is most likely that Kabul may demand Washington for the release of detainees kept in Guantanamo Bay for ages now. The US may accept this demand from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and if she doesn’t, relations between the Taliban and the US administration may worsen.
6) Can the US authorize a nuclear strike on the positions of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”? How likely is the outbreak of an American-Afghan nuclear conflict?
It is unlikely, as the Taliban has vowed during the peace talks that Afghan soil will not be used against any other country by any insurgent groups. However, the group abbreviated ISIS-K or ISKP, claimed responsibility for the coordinated bomb attack on 26 August 2021 at the Abbey Gate of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, where hundreds of Afghans and foreign citizens had been queuing up to get on the last evacuation flights out of the country. At least 90 people were killed, including 13 US service members. It was the deadliest day for the US military in Afghanistan in a decade.
The US has already retaliated against ISIS-K through a drone strike. The possibility of drone attacks may intensify against ISIS-K in the future if the Taliban are unable to eliminate the violent groups.
7) How does Pakistan feel about human rights violations in Afghanistan?
The general perception in Pakistan is that the Taliban during this protracted conflict with the US has matured considerably in terms of their diplomacy, policies, political awareness and promoting peace and harmony in Afghanistan. Since Kabul took over, as a positive overture, some sane decisions and promises have emanated from the Taliban leadership, for instance, declaring amnesty for all and to uphold human rights including women and children. Pakistanis are also observing carefully whether the Taliban will live to its promises in the coming time.
Afghanistan-China Discernible and Futuristic Relations
8) During the meeting between Wang Yi and Mullah Baradar in late July, the Taliban promised to protect Chinese citizens, organizations and property’s safety, so after the meeting, How will the Taliban meet These commitments?
Ostensibly, the Taliban are more than capable to provide security and ensure the safety of the Chinese citizens, organisations including property protection. Along with Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey and Iran, China has also played a positive role in the peace process and reconciliation of the Taliban to end the occupation of US and NATO troops. Even in the past, on receiving a green signal from the Taliban, not being part of the government, ensured the safety and security of the Chinese nationals. An evident example is that a mega project of copper worth $3 billion was initiated at Miss Aynak. China has maintained informal relations with the Taliban for many years now. After the interim set up as soon as a formal government of the Taliban is formed, they would provide complete safety and security to the Chinese officials, investors and workers so that the much-needed rebuilding of Afghanistan can kick start.
9) Taliban wish to promote bilateral ties with China, will they take specific measures to strengthen it? On the other hand, which demands will the Taliban expect from China in the future or the next meetings with Chinese officials?
China has four integral objectives with regard to Afghanistan 1) a clean break of East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a terrorist organisation, which has been involved in uprising and militancy in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (the largest province of China) comprising the majority of the Muslim population. In the past, ETIM used Afghan soil for sporadic attacks inside China; 2) Not allowing Afghan soil to become a haven for the franchised terrorist outfits. Secure, stable and peaceful Afghanistan will allow China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) towards its early accomplishment; 3) Investing and earning through untapped mineral potential in Afghanistan including rebuilding and infrastructure, etc. and; 4) Leveraging Afghanistan as a close ally for geopolitical and geostrategic purposes without any involvement of both parties in the internal matters.
The Islamic State’s (IS) growing presence in the north of Afghanistan is another concern. China will seek Russia’s help to prevent IS from destabilising Central Asia, a common geopolitical goal shared by both the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and the Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
From China, the first and foremost demand from the Taliban would be to recognise them as the legitimate government and the Taliban may get clout of China’s veto power to meet their ends. Second, the Taliban has already indicated that China can help them to rebuild Afghanistan, an opportune time for China as well to fill the vacuum the US and her allies have left beyond. Third, the Taliban may seek assistance from China to establish a robust defence system, extricate them of economic and humanitarian ruin, etc.
10) The media noted Baradar wants Humanitarian assistance from CHINA, So What kind of assistance would they want from CHINA?
China is showing its interest in the group which is evident On 28 July 2021, Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar travelled to Tianjin, a port city near Beijing, and met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He said that China had “always been a reliable friend of the Afghan people”.
Undoubtedly, the Taliban has won militarily but a huge challenge confronts as to how to govern and run the country when the country is already facing economic catastrophe. The US with its withdrawal has already frozen around $9 billion reserved in American banks. The Taliban direly needs to show to the Afghans and the international community that they are now far from being militants but a responsible governing body to tackle economic and other critical affairs.
The Taliban would surely want Beijing to assist them financially to save the humanitarian crisis which can go from bad to worse especially in the harsh winter which is just around the corner. With only 10 percent of the adult population holding a bank account, according to a 2018 World Bank report. And China may help the Taliban, given the current challenges the country is facing. The good news is that China has acted fast by announcing commodity assistance of US$ 30 million for the Taliban government. This week, Beijing is also shipping a large quantity of COVID-19 vaccination to Afghanistan.
The Taliban would also need help in the health sector, education, clean water, supply of food, and basic amenities for living. 18 million Afghans need aid to survive, one in three don’t know where their next meal will come from, over half of all children under the age of five were expected to become “acutely malnourished” in the next year, and every day people are losing access to basic goods and services.
Yasir Masood – Academic, Foreign and Regional Affairs Expert and a broadcast journalist based in Islamabad. He frequently contributes in the top national & International English dailies on foreign and geopolitical issues. He tweets @ScholarYK